“Irrespective of the decision, it may be fool-hardy to assume that cardiologists themselves will be able to elevate their practices to the requisite demands of Meaningful Use Criterion. Therefore, it is becomes imperative that they avail proven services from credible sources for medical billing solutions.”

The recent decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to offer health care providers additional time to meet Stage 2 meaningful use objectives for Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Incentive Programs seems to have brought in the much needed relief to the medical practitioners across the nation’s healthcare continuum. While the EHR adaptability measure for Stage 1 meaningful use criterion was started in 2011, it is yet to realize its objective in full as a considerable number of medical practitioners are still to catch up pace owing to financial as well as technological reasons. Therefore, this extension, it is believed will provide both avenue for sourcing the requisite finance as well the time to adapt to the EHR environment. And, amongst all the specialties, it is the physicians in the cardiology who will be more relieved – cardiology EHR compliance is believed to be more challenging and capital intensive than the rest. Moreover, cardiology accounts for the majority of reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid.

Notwithstanding the common consensus amongst the cardiologists, there is still a section of the physicians who feel the delay would actually take away the intensity. Their reasoning is based on the knowledge that with so much of outsourced medical billing services available these days, physicians could easily have complied with the earlier deadline for Stage 1. But, with the decision for postponing the commencement of Stag 2 having already been made, the date gets pushed back to 2014. Therefore, all those who started the preparation for Stage 1 this year, will have time till 2014 for Stage 2 preparation while those starting as early as 2011 for Stage 1 must attest Stage 2 standards beginning in 2013. Irrespective of the decision, it may be fool-hardy to assume that cardiologists themselves will be able to elevate their practices to the requisite demands of Meaningful Use Criterion. Therefore, it is becomes imperative that they avail proven services from credible sources for medical billing solutions.

Here, Medical billing companies have the dual-role of not only ensuring EHR is implemented for the requirements of Meaningful Use Criterion, but also changing the way clinical services are provided across the cardiology destinations. Such competence can only be expected from those service providers who themselves have a perfect blend of human capability and the requisite technology. Therefore, cardiologists are advised to be diligent before selecting their prospective service providers. While the task of selecting may even warrant a thorough analysis of your prospective service providers’ credentials, it is always wise to bank on proven service providers.

Medicalbillersandcoders.com (www.medicalbillersandcoders.com), by virtue of being one of first to reciprocate to the physicians’ need for comprehensive solutions in EHR implementation for complying with Meaningful Use Criterion, stands out to be a distinctive name. Its growing reputation as the leading consortium of medical billing services is a true testimony of its credentials and competence. While cardiologists seek to accomplish EHR compliance, outsourcing our EHR specific services could prove to be a double advantage: qualifying for incentives under Meaningful Use Criterion and mitigating the penalty for non-compliance.

The processes carried out in hospitals are very different from those carried out in small practices or solo settings. The difference does not just stop at the volume of care that is provided but is also related to the quality and the difference in the processes that are carried out. Although about thirty percent of the total physician workforces in the country are solo or small practices, hospitals are responsible for providing care on a macro level as opposed to small practices. Therefore the departmental processes for solo or small practices and hospitals differ considerably.

Hospitals have many more auxiliary services that they regularly provide to their patients that are not provided by small clinics such as various specialist facilities including radiology, anesthesiology and such other similar services. The billing structure in a small practice is different from those in hospitals and is also much smaller and less complicated in nature. Various processes such as revenue cycle management, denial management, payer interaction, the way in which Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Electronic Medical Records EMRs are implemented are different in small practices as compared to bigger hospitals. Moreover, the financial aspects and processes involved in a hospital are much more complicated compared to those in small clinics.

The fact that EMRs, EHRs and such other electronic equipment was originally made for hospitals is a witness to the reality that hospitals require and possess extensive implementation of technological equipment to provide efficient services. The billing process itself is different in a hospital compared to that in a physician’s office as well as when it comes to ‘Meaningful Use’ (MU) incentives. The physicians billing forms to insurance companies and payers are also different compared to hospitals.

The reforms have also considerably changed the medical billing processes and there have been changes on many levels in the industry. These changes are not just limited to core medical aspects but also encompass other “back-office” or departmental processes which have brought about an overhaul in every process including those for medical billing and coding. The transformation from ICD-9 codes to ICD-10, building the 5010 platform for the same, policy changes concerning insurance claims and denials, and the use of health IT has brought about numerous changes for hospitals and for small practices. However whether hospitals or small practices both these vehicles of health care deliveries need to streamline processes such as denial management, revenue cycle management, medical billing and coding, and other services to ensure revenue growth in the near future.

Experienced billers can perform numerous functions for hospitals as well as small and solo practices and can ensure timely and accurate reimbursement. Medicalbillersandcoders.com experienced professionals can not only handle the various departmental processes but can also ensure privacy and compliance of HIPAA guidelines for hospitals as well as for small and solo practices.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have started to affect almost all the specialties and diabetes care is no exception. A study by The New England Journal of Medicine finds that EHRs can have a positive impact on the quality of the care that is provided to diabetes patients. The report titled Electronic Health Records and Quality of Diabetes Care clarifies that sites with EHRs have better quality of care compared to those with paper based records. Another survey by the U.S National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health also presents the advantages of using EHRs for caring for diabetes patients in another case study.

There are approximately 24 million diabetes patients in the country and as the population ages, this number will grow. Moreover, since diabetes is a chronic condition that has no final cure, caring becomes a continuous process with numerous hurdles. These hurdles can be overcome by using EMRS and EHRs which are especially designed in order to periodically monitor the condition of the patient and provide better care due to this approach. The biggest challenge in diabetes is the monitoring and control of blood sugar on a daily basis which can be exhaustive for the patient to check and keep a detailed record of. This is where EMRs and EHRs can be of immense help. EHRs and EMRs can help in keeping a detailed record of blood sugar levels along with other factors such as Body Mass Index and numerous other features. Such reports can be sent to patients in the form of lab reports and assessed by the patient regularly to maintain better health.

Even though EMRs and EHRs help in assisting physicians in taking better care of diabetic patients, EMR and EHR adoption rates in the country are not very encouraging. A yearly survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report containing the EMR adoption rates in late last year (2011). The report finds that only 10.1% of physicians in the country had a fully functional EMR system. The successful implementation of EMR/EHR system seems to be the biggest challenge in health reforms and also in aspects related to diabetes care. There are numerous reasons that have been presented for this lag in the implementation of EMR/EHR systems. Factors such as the anxiety regarding the financial viability of such systems, a steep learning curve for providers, and the complexity in maintaining such systems are the most common reasons for the reluctance to fully implement systems that demonstrate ‘Meaningful Use’ (MU).

The financial advantages of implementation of EMRs and EHRs are apparent in light of the incentives provided by the government for MU. The advantages for patients are projected and expected to be excellent with the use of EMRs/EHRs; however, the study of the impact of EMRs on chronic conditions is limited yet positive. The ideal solution for proper implementation of EHR systems is to outsource the billing and coding process to professionals who possess experience in assisting in providing solutions for streamlining various processes related to EMRs.

Choosing the right EMR vendor is just the beginning because the maintenance of such EMR systems is more difficult compared to just implementation. Vendors should be able to provide basic education about the system and also support the practice in various ways for a period of time after implementation. Medical billers at medicalbillersandcoders.com will not only provide solutions to your billing problems as a provider but also offer other value added services such as assist in implementation of EMR systems after a thorough study of your practice, revenue cycle management, denial management and consultancy services.

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Medical Billers and Coders is the largest consortium of Medical Billers and Coders in the United States. Our aim is to help the physician community to reach the right expertise in the right location at the right time.